I open up the house and tell people to feel free to wander around and make themselves comfortable.

SPRINGFIELD -- The Springfield Preservation Trust invites preservationists and historic home enthusiasts to its annual summer fund-raiser. The trust’s “Summer Garden Party” will be held at a grand Queen Anne-style home in the McKnight neighborhood on the afternoon of Aug. 24.

The 28 Ingersoll Grove home, owned by Edward Zuckerman, is a completely restored Queen Anne stick style house built in 1888. Stick style Queen Anne homes have a lot of vertical open wood work, but are still Victorian in style.

The home was originally built for Dr. Nathan Adams, whose family lived there for more than 40 years. The home’s second owner, James Gill, was an inventor. Gill was president of the Peerless Handcuff Company and a Springfield Police commissioner. Gill is said to have created a type of handcuff inside the Adams mansion that modernized the cuff's design, preventing it from locking unless placed on a wrist.

Zuckerman said this is the third time the home has been involved in a trust fund-raiser.

He bought the home in 1986 with his late partner, Robert Kinder, after building their first home near the historic district in Windsor, Conn.

“I am a preservationist and a history buff,” Zuckerman said. “I was thrilled when my late partner decided that he wanted to take on a project. We came to McKnight and we bought the Adams mansion.”

The historic McKnight neighborhood was developed between 1870 and 1900. It is the largest and most intact, wood-frame, late 19th century neighborhood in New England. It features some of the most elegant homes in what is known as the City of Homes.

Prior to their purchase, the home had been a boarding house and later a group home. Zuckerman and Kinder completed interior work, painted the exterior and landscaped the grounds.

“(Kinder) planned the color combination after a lot of study,” Zuckerman said. “The house was entered in a color contest with Sherwin Williams paint in 1999 for Victorian Homes Magazine, and we were one of three winners nationwide.”

The home, also featured in the spring 2014 edition of Living Spaces Magazine, continued to be brought back to its historic roots.

“The kitchen had been bastardized,” Zuckerman said. “The original cabinetry was missing, and there was a haphazard collection. The butler’s pantry had been completely gutted.”

The butler’s pantry was restored, and the kitchen was remodeled to look like a kitchen would appear about 1910.

The home’s interior paint and wallpaper was restored to period decor. Zuckerman, a collector of “blue willow” dinnerware, created a blue and white theme in the dining room. The couple found handmade wallpaper, manufactured in England, with a blue willow design, and installed it there. The room also includes some of Zuckerman’s blue willow dinnerware collection on display.

The gardens feature a three-tiered fountain and various garden ornaments, including two deer Zuckerman purchased in Brimfield that he said keep watch over the property.

Zuckerman said the party is planned for the outdoors.

“Hopefully, the weather will hold,” he said. “If not, we’ll bring it inside. We have a huge dining room, living room, library and big kitchen area. There is plenty of room, so people can wander around.”

Even if the weather is perfect, Zuckerman said he doesn’t mind guests taking a peek inside the house.

“Whenever we do one of these functions, I open up the house and tell people to feel free to wander around and make themselves comfortable,” he said.

Zuckerman said he is adamant about maintaining the history of his home and keeping the historic McKnight neighborhood alive.

“As long as I live there, (my goal) is to maintain the historical integrity as it was built,” he said. “You may have your name on the deed, but you don’t own them – they own you.”

The money raised through the fund-raiser will go toward the trust’s preservation efforts at 77 Maple St. The trust is working to renovate Springfield’s oldest remaining school building to create four unique residential condominiums.

The party will include hors d’oeuvres, wine and sparkling waters. Tickets are $40. Tickets can be purchased at www.SpringfieldPreservationTrust.org, or by check mailed to Springfield Preservation Trust, 74 Walnut St., Springfield, MA 01105 prior to Aug. 18. For additional information, call (413) 736-0629.